Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide remote devices with various types of communication content such as, e.g., voice content, data content, and so on. These wireless communication systems can be multiple-access systems capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power). Examples of such multiple-access systems can include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, third generation partnership project (3GPP) long term evolution (LTE) systems, third generation partnership project 2 (3GPP2) ultra mobile broadband (UMB) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, and like systems.
Generally, a wireless multiple-access communication system can simultaneously support communication for multiple wireless terminals. Each terminal can communicate with one or more base stations via wireless transmissions on forward and reverse links. The forward link (or downlink) refers to the communication link from base stations to terminals, and the reverse link (or uplink) refers to the communication link from terminals to base stations. Further, communication between the terminals and base stations can be established via single-input single-output (SISO) systems, multiple-input single-output (MISO) systems, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems, and so forth.
Multiple wireless communication systems having different communication protocols exist simultaneously in modern wireless communications. Though many utilize radio frequency, microwave frequency or like electromagnetic spectra, the communication protocols for such systems can vary greatly. For instance, mobile telecommunication systems generally employ radio frames to segment a wireless signal and convey discrete groups of information, whether in analog or digital form, utilizing resources of the radio frames. Such resources can include, for instance, time-based slots or sub-slots of TDMA systems, frequency based resources of FDMA and OFDMA systems, code-based resources of CDMA systems, and/or symbol-based resources utilized in transmission of pilot information for various mobile network systems.
The mobile systems generally utilize carrier signals within government licensed frequency ranges, e.g., cellular frequency spectra. Transmission of wireless information employing licensed frequencies is termed over-the-air (OTA) transmission, and is distinct from wireless transmissions utilizing computer networking protocols, such as a wireless local area network (WLAN) employing transportation control protocol (TCP)/Internet Protocol (IP), for instance. The latter employs wireless signal resources to transmit data in packet form, whereas OTA transmission packages the data packet within an OTA message instead. The OTA message can be decoded by a suitable radio access network (RAN) receiver (e.g., at a mobile base station, Node B, etc.) enabling the data packet to be extracted from the message.
One great advantage of employing the licensed communication spectrum for wireless communications is that RAN infrastructure is already established in many parts of the world, and publicly accessible via most wireless terminal devices. Registration on such RANs and access to public networks such as the Internet, or private networks coupled to the Internet, is generally available on a subscription-basis with a wireless carrier. In contrast, wireless computer network access points (APs) are largely installed and maintained by private entities that might not offer public access or private/commercial subscription. Accordingly, user mobility in connection with mobile communications systems is much greater as compared with wireless computer networking systems, such as WLANs, wireless wide area networks (WWANs), and so on. However, substantially stationary equipment (e.g., desktop PCs, home/office security alarms, and other electronic processing or processor-controlled hardware) can maintain a direct communication link via a fixed computer network link (which can include, e.g., wired and/or wireless computer networking connections), since relatively little or no mobility is required. In the latter case, the stationary equipment often enjoys unlimited data access/usage for fixed cost.
With the expansion of the Internet, mobile networks and fixed computer networks have recently experienced significant intercommunication. Mobile communication networks, traditionally limited to circuit-switched core networks for remote communication, have integrated packet oriented data services providing Internet access either in conjunction with or in addition to the circuit-switched networks. As a result mobile terminals can obtain data services by initiating a data call (e.g., that activates a packet service) and exchange data with other devices coupled to the Internet. Thus, e-mail, voice calls, media data, and the like, can be exchanged between mobile terminals and computing devices each employing disparate network access technologies, via the Internet (or, e.g., a private wide area network intranet). Accordingly, a user can employ a cellular phone, for instance, to communicate directly with another person at a home computer. This interoperability of disparate communications networks has provided a paradigm shift for mobile communications in recent years.